The Biden administration declared monkeypox was a public health emergency on Thursday as cases topped 6,600 nationwide.
The statement it could facilitate access to emergency funds, allow health agencies to collect more data on cases and vaccines, speed up vaccine distribution and make it easier for doctors to prescribe treatment.
“We are ready to take our response to the next level to address this virus, and we urge all Americans to take monkeypox seriously and to take responsibility for helping us fight this virus,” the secretary said from the Department of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, in an informative session on Thursday on the emergency declaration.
A quarter of US cases are in New York state, which declared a state of emergency last week. California and Illinois followed suit with emergency declarations on Monday.
The World Health Organization declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern last month, a designation reserved for the most serious global disease outbreaks. It has previously been used for Covid-19, Zika, H1N1 flu, polio and Ebola. At least 26,200 cases of monkeypox have been confirmed worldwide this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Monkey pox is spreading primarily through sexual contact between men, which was not the case in previous outbreaks of the virus. All but 1 percent of U.S. smallpox cases so far are people who were assigned male at birth, the Department of Health and Human Services said last week.
the WHO advised recently men who have sex with men to reduce their number of sexual partners and reconsider sex with new partners while the outbreak continues.
The average monkeypox patient in the United States is about 35 years old, but people of all ages can be infected. The CDC has reported five cases in children: two in California, two in Indiana, and one non-US resident infant who tested positive in Washington, DC.
The California and Indiana health departments declined to provide details about their pediatric cases, but Jennifer Rice Epstein, public affairs officer for the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services, said the patient in her city she was exposed through a close contact.
As of last week, whites accounted for 37% of U.S. monkeypox cases, followed by Hispanics or Latinos (31%), blacks (27%) and Asians (4%), according to HHS.
US officials still think the outbreak can be contained
HHS officials still hope to prevent monkeypox from becoming endemic in the US
“We continue to prepare the tools we need to make sure we can fight monkeypox and prevent it from spreading to the point of becoming endemic,” Becerra said Thursday.
“There should be no reason why we can’t stay ahead of this if we all work together,” he added.
This work is mainly based on testing, targeted vaccines and treatment.
As of Thursday, the US had distributed 600,000 of the 1.1 million available doses of the Jynneos vaccine, which is given as a two-shot regimen. In total, the country has ordered 6.9 million doses. HHS said a shipment of 150,000 doses will arrive in the US in September for distribution.
The vaccine can prevent monkeypox if given before or within four days of exposure. If given within 14 days of exposure, it may relieve symptoms.
US testing capacity has also increased, from 6,000 tests a week in May to 80,000 now.
“Right now we’re only testing about 10 percent of the capacity we have. We’re encouraging anyone who has a rash that could be monkey pox to come forward for testing,” the director of the CDC, Rochelle Walensky.
About 14,000 people in the United States have received TPOXX, an antiviral drug that is licensed for use against smallpox but can also be used to treat monkeypox. The strategic national stockpile contains 1.7 million treatments, HHS said. But the use of the drug at the moment is limited to people with serious illness or a high risk of becoming seriously ill. Doctors also have to fill out extensive paperwork to prescribe it for monkey pox.
Expanded access to TPOXX was one of many reasons sexual health providers asked HHS to declare a public health emergency.
“It is unthinkable not to make more changes to make TPOXX accessible to everyone who needs it,” David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, said on a news call Tuesday.
Most monkeypox patients in the United States have reported a skin rash
The most common symptoms of monkeypox include a rash, reported in 99% of U.S. cases so far, malaise, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. Some patients have also reported chills, headache and muscle pain.
Some people with monkeypox develop only one or two lesions in their rash, while others may develop thousands of lesions. According to the WHO.
A study published last month, which examined cases of monkeypox in 16 countries from April to June, found that nearly 65% of people had fewer than 10 lesions. Lesions were most frequently found in the anus or genital area, followed by the torso, arms or legs. A smaller number of people saw injuries to the face, palms or soles of the feet.
Symptoms usually appear a week after exposure, the study found. About 13% of the people studied were hospitalized, mainly for pain treatment.
